Jack White Joins Nashville City Council Group To Study Gender Inequality

Sam Blum

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Jack White has lived in Nashville for several years, and has become an active member of the community there. He's a business owner, having established Third Man Records in the Southern city, and now, he's lending a hand to the mayor's office by joining a gender equality council led by the mayor's office.

Per The Tennessean, we learn that The White Stripes' founder will help the mayor's office chip away at gender-based wage and benefit disparities as part of an advisory group for the gender equity council. The paper reports that White's group will use “data-informed recommendations and advice” to help the city keep tabs on the problem.

At a press conference on Wednesday, White spoke at length about his involvement in the project, and aired some of his beliefs in the process:

"It is embarrassing that in 2016 there are any differences in benefits or wages between genders in our society. Gender equity is something that should’ve been solved a century ago worldwide, and it is sad that we even need to address it. If the person does the work, the benefits of doing that work, should be equal among all human beings.

As owner of the record label third man records, with locations in both Nashville and Detroit, I am proud to say that since 2013 all employees of my record label have had a minimum wage of 15 dollars an hour, regardless of gender.

I encourage small businesses to do the same, it is possible. You wont go broke. A person shouldn’t need 2 jobs just to have food and shelter. And if small businesses like mine can do this, billion dollar businesses like Walmart can do it as well."

White also noted that all employees of Third Man Records enjoy health insurance, six-month paid maternity leave and three-month paid paternity leave. His full statement is on Facebook.